Wingehaven Park, the site of an old estate, can be tricky to find. The 12-acre park offers views of Mount Rainier and a bit of beachfront.

Wingehaven Park, the site of an old estate, can be tricky to find. The 12-acre park offers views of Mount Rainier and a bit of beachfront.

Photo: KAREN SYKES

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Hike Of The Week: Digging up more treasures close to home

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A few weeks ago we visited Vashon Island but ran out of time long before we ran out of island. We wanted to sample more of its parks so we returned by ferry from West Seattle, disembarking at the north end of the island.

Some parks on the island are not well signed; trailhead signs can be hard to spot as locals justifiably do not wish to attract crowds. Keep party size to a minimum and respect private property.

Our first stop was Wingehaven Park, site of an abandoned estate with beach access and views of Mount Rainier. The 12-acre park is tucked into the first bay south of the ferry dock and is a bit difficult to find. After a false start, we spotted a small trailhead sign on a narrow road shared by homeowners.

We hiked down the steep road to the park, as directed by signs, passing a marshy area where the road levels out onto a grassy area with picnic tables near the beach. A short path leads to a 400-foot stretch of beach below a dilapidated ornamental balustrade. Other than the concrete balustrade and a crumbling fountain, you'd be hard pressed to find evidence this was once an estate.

We enjoyed strolling the sunny beach and the view of Mount Rainier, though hiking is limited.

We returned to the main road (Vashon Highway Southwest) and drove south to 23-acre Dockton Park on Maury Island, separated from Vashon by Quartermaster Harbor. This was a rambler's smorgasbord of a park with beach access, a pier and forested trails.

We walked out onto the pier for a closer view of the harbor, festooned with a colorful array of boats and remnants of ancient piers dating from the 1890s when Dockton was known as the largest floating dry dock on the West Coast.

As we started back, we stopped and were mesmerized by the undulating movements of a jellyfish near the pier. It is one thing to see dying jellyfish washed up on a beach, but to observe a living specimen is quite another matter.

This was a moon jellyfish, which measures about 12 inches across and is more commonly seen April through October. The four horseshoe shapes glowing in the center of the body are gonads and glow like neon, in sharp contrast to the dark waters of the harbor.

We also checked out the trails in the park. Several short paths link to form two pretty loops through evergreens, madrona, alder, sword fern, bracken, lush grasses and salal. October's colorful leaves still littered the ground.

Our last stop was 5 1/2-acre Lisabuela Park on the west side of Vashon Island, an ideal setting to watch for whales or a sunset. We scurried to get there before sunset as the park closes at dusk. From the parking lot we followed a path to the sandy saltwater beach just as a billowing bank of fog was rising where a creek flows into the cove. A few locals also were hunkered down for the sunset, bundled up against the chill, as this was one of the coldest days of the year.

While there are no hiking trails, this is an enchanting park and a popular spot for bird-watching and summer picnics. By the time the sun dropped behind evergreens, we were glad to get back to the car and head for the ferry.